O'Dell, Maurice A.

1924 - 1944  (20 years)

• Name	O'Dell, Maurice A.
  Birth	20 Mar 1924	Xenia, Clay County, Illinois   [1]
  Gender	Male
  Reference Number	ODEL.M004
  _FGRAVE	23451271
  Military Service	World War II, Private First Class, 114th Infantry Regiment, 44th Infantry Division, United States Army  [1, 2, 3]
  	Private First Class with the 114th Infantry Regiment, 44th Infantry Division. Entered combat in mid-October 1944 and was killed in action on December 4, 1944 in vicinity of Drulingen, Moselle, France. Awarded The Purple Heart Medal posthumously and otherwise entitled to The American Campaign Medal, The European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with 1 bronze battle star and the WWII Victory Medal. Later, buried with military honors in Oskaloosa Cemetery at his hometown. Honored also at the WWII Memorial in Flora, Illinois. (This information has been posted on the National World War II Memorial's Registry of Remembrances website by Robert Medley Gatewood. It is entered here with his permission.) Source: https://wwiiregistry.abmc.gov/honoree-plaque/?honoree_id=1903183
  		United States of America Flag, 48 Stars (1912-1959) In 1912, two stars were added to the United States flag, representing Arizona and New Mexico, bringing the total number of stars to 48. They were arranged in six rows of eight stars each. American fighting men would fight under this flag during four wars: World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the beginning of the Vietnam War. (In 1959,…
  		Maurice A. O'Dell (1924-1944)
  		United States Army
  		Private First Class, United States Army and United States Army Air Fores (Sep 1942-Aug 1948)
  		United States Army Enlisted Rank Insignia
  		Military Service Ribbons, O'Dell, Maurice A. (1924-1944) Contributed by Carl Wayne Gray
  		Purple Heart Medal, United States Military
  		Purple Heart Medal, United States Military
  		American Campaign Medal, United States Military
  		American Campaign Medal, United States
  		European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, United States
  		European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, United States
  		World War II Victory Medal, United States Military
  		World War II Victory Medal, United States Military
  		World War II (1939-1945)
  		44th Infantry Division, United States Army
  		44th Infantry Division, United States Army
  		114th Infantry Regiment (United States)
  		Drulingen, France
  		Brochure, World War II Memorial, Flora, Illinois, Nov 11, 2007 On Veterans' Day, 2005, the city of Flora, Illinois dedicated a memorial to all known Clay County, Illinois World War II Veterans. Located on the south side of the city library, this is a copy of the brochure honoring that event. This 2007 brochure adds a matrix for locating the memorial brick that was laid in honor of each veteran. …
  		World War II Honoree, O'Dell, Maurice A. (1924-1944)
  		World War II Casualties, Clay County Illinois
  Death	4 Dec 1944	Drulingen, France   [1, 4]
  	Cause: Killed in Action
  		Drulingen, France
  Burial	Oskaloosa Cemetery, Oskaloosa, Clay County, Illinois   [1]
  		Headstone, O'Dell, Maurice A.
  		Headstone, O'Dell, Maurice A.
  Person ID	I43052	Carl Wayne Gray Research
  Last Modified	16 Dec 2024

  
  

• Event Map

  Birth - 20 Mar 1924 - Xenia, Clay County, Illinois Death - Cause: Killed in Action - 4 Dec 1944 - Drulingen, France Burial - - Oskaloosa Cemetery, Oskaloosa, Clay County, Illinois  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Sources

  [S13391] https://www.findagrave.com, Headstone, O'Dell, Maurice A., (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/23451271/maurice-a_-o_dell), none. (Reliability: 2). [S15404] Robert Medley Gatewood, Brochure, Flora, Illinois, World War II Veterans Memorial, page #4, (https://genealogy.carlwgray.com/showmedia.php?mediaID=18791) (Reliability: 2). [S13376] World War II Honoree, Maurice A. O'Dell, (https://wwiiregistry.abmc.gov/honoree-plaque/?honoree_id=1903183) (Reliability: 2). [S13375] http://www.wwiimemorial.com, National Archives & Records Administration War Department Files, PFC Maurice A. O'Dell, (https://www.wwiimemorial.com/Registry/plaque_wardept.aspx?honoreeID=1040641) (Reliability: 2).